Joe Soap given a role but Cabinet still rules the roost

“We believe that in recent years an over-powerful executive has turned the Dáil into an observer of the political process rather than a central player and that this must be changed” — Programme for Government, 2011.

The promise of “radical reform” of how the Dáil operates — made by the coalition parties as they swept into power two-and-a-half years ago — was based on the need to shift more power towards the national parliament and away from central government.

The latest reform proposals — while aiming to increase the effective-ness and efficiency of the Dáil — offer little in the way of rebalancing the power away from what many view to be an all-power cabinet.